What ever happened to the Abacus?

My three children started school last week and the rush was on to get all the needed school supplies. BB, my 13 yr old son, brought his match class supply list to me and I almost fainted! He needed to buy a super max, way too technical calculator. They range in price from $99 to $200. Has math really gotten that technical that we can't work without a mini computer in our backpack?

I thought about the needed item for a couple of days. I even went to the store twice to purchase it, but I just could not make myself do it! What happened to the days when you counted beads on an abacus? Or on your fingers? Or, dare I say, used scratch paper? Okay, maybe not scratch paper so I can help save a few more trees.

I realized I had no choice but to buy the little super duper handy dandy calculator. I brought it home to BB and helped him get the batteries in. It only takes about 400 batteries to run the darn thing (okay, maybe 4 batteries, but still.....). I showed him how to turn it on and after much practice I figured out how to turn it off. This is the point that he tells me he already knew how to do all this. Then he proceeds to tell me that you can text people on it, download games, and even brainwash teachers.....(he really didn't say the brainwash teachers but I want everyone to feel my emotion).

I have never felt so old and dusty in my life! Call me crazy, but how is texting or game playing going to help solve all those math equations? Again, the abacus may be a little outdated but it sure did the trick.

You can probably imagine all the alarm bells going off in my head when BB recounts all the million and one things this super machine can do.

• Is a 13yr old boy responsible enough for such a costly item? He tells me his Nintendo DS costs about the same and he has kept up with it....mostly. I have to remind him that the first week he had it, he took it outside and then laid it on the hood of his Dad's truck. He forgot to get it off before his Dad left at his usual speed of 90 to nothing. I spent 30 minutes going up and down the roadside looking for it!
• Can this same 13 yr old really figure out how to use it properly? Well, duh!!!!! He did show me how to turn it off when I tried this little task for at least 15 minutes.
• Is he going to text and play games on it so much that the batteries will need constant replacement? I wonder if 400 batteries every other day is really eco friendly?

I really start to chastise myself at this point. After all he is 13 yrs old, and as my sister keeps telling me, I need to loosen up with him a little. I need to let him experience a little freedom so he can learn to make good choices. (This is easy for her to say. Her daughter is 26 and as near perfect as you can get. Her son is 4 and she can exert all the control on him she wants. I think I will have to pull this post out for her to read in about 9 years.)

As I am taking the kids to school, I go over all the rules about the super max computer thingy with BB. (He says I went into my "wa wa wa wa wa wa" mode. I think he means I keep repeating myself and he stops hearing words and instead hears "wa wa wa wa wa wa".) I remind him several times to use the top secret computer only for his way too complicated math class and not to text anyone or play games. His reply is "Mimi, just trust me. I won't do anything I'm not supposed to do."

Now, lets fast forward to pick up time after school.....I ask all the kids how their day was. I get various replies but notice BB isn't saying much. I zero in on him. I ask him how things were going for him.

Mimi: Did you get to use that top secret machine in math class today?

BB: Yes, but the batteries that we put in must not be very good because they are already dead.

Mimi:Hmmmmm.(I actually thought this) Did you do a lot of texting today?

BB:No. I didn't text on it at all.

Mimi:Did you play any games on it today?

BB:(in a much quieter voice) Yes, but only in my free time.

Mimi: (in a much louder voice) What do you mean you played a game on it? Didn't I just talk to you this morning about not playing games on it? Didn't we agree that you were only going to use it to solve math problems? Why would you do this? Now you don't have batteries for your super machine so how are you going to solve all those math problems?

BB:Easy. I'll just stick them in the recharger.

Mimi: They aren't rechargeable. Didn't you pay any attention to what we talked about this morning?

BB: Yes, maam. I just saw everyone else playing games on theirs and this kid let me download some games onto mine.

Mimi: (going into orbit now) You did what? You downloaded something on the super max? That's how viruses get spread. What happens if you get a virus and your super max dies? Also, that tells me that you had plenty of time to think this through if you downloaded and then played games. When did you play these games? In your classes?

BB: Yes, maam. But it was during free time.

Mimi: What type of free time?

BB: In my science class during the teachers power point discussion.

Mimi: How is this free time?

BB: It was boring, so I just looked at the highlighted words and played my game during the rest of it.

I could go on and on (I actually did with him. He calls it nagging. I call it lengthy discussions.) with all the dialogue but BB says it really gets harder to listen to when I just keep repeating the same things over and over. I did tell him that I thought it would be very difficult to edit a power point display while playing a game. I have seen him with is Wii and his Nintendo. I doubt that he edited anything. At this point I really didn't want to hear anymore about what other classes he did this in. I am just glad that he didn't get caught. Now I have to come up with a way to let him use his calculator but not let it get him in trouble.

I've gotta tell ya, I really blame Texas Instrument for all the wrong in the world! Didn't they think this through when they were designing this super machine? Surely the knew that the teenagers wouldn't be able to resist the lures of texts and games and every other non math item these little jewels contained. What were they thinking????? Don't any of them have kids? Are they trying to compete with the Gameboys?

Again, I want to know.....What is wrong with the Abacus? I bet BB wouldn't try and use it improperly!